MINIX NEO Z300-0dB is a fanless mini PC powered by an Intel Core i3-N300 octa-core Alder Lake-N CPU with 16GB DDR4 and up to a 512GB NVMe SSD.
It built upon the MINIX NEO Z100-0dB that we reviewed with both Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 and performed well albeit not quite as fast as some actively-cooled models. The NEO Z300-0dB brings a faster Core i3-N300 octa-core processor and from what I can see from the specs below, the other features remain the same.
MINIX NEO Z300-0dB specifications:
- SoC – Intel Core i3-N300 octa-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel UHD Graphics; TDP: 7W
- System Memory – 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB DDDR4-3200 SO-DIMM memory, upgradable to 32GB
- Storage
- 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB M.2 SSD (PCIe Gen3 x4), upgradable up to 4TB (compatible with SATA SSD too)
- MicroSD card slot
- Video Output
- 2x HDMI 2.1 ports up to 4Kp60
- Up to 2x independent displays supported
- Audio – 3.5mm headphone+mic jack, digital audio output via HDMI
- Connectivity
- 2.5GbE RJ45 port
- Dual-band 802.11b/g/n/ac/ax WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 with two high-gain external antennas
- USB – 2x USB 3.2 ports (10 Gbps), 1x USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) Type-C port for data only, 2x USB 2.0 ports
- Misc
- Power Button
- CMOS reset pinhole
- Kensington lock slot
- BIOS with support for Wake on LAN, Auto Power on, and RTC wake-up
- Power Supply – 12V to 19V DC jack (12V/4A power supply provided)
- Dimensions – 12.3 x 12 x 4.6 cm
- Weight – 1.3 kg
Apart from the processor, the only other change is the beefier power supply (12V/4A vs 12V/3A) to accommodate for the higher power draw from the octa-core processor. The new model is still pre-loaded with Windows 11 Pro.
To get an idea of the performance boost switch from a Processor N100 to a Core i3-N300 CPU, we can refer to the earlier MINIX NEO Z100-0dB review and the review of the iKOOLCORE R2 mini PC powered by the same Core i3-N300 CPU as the new MINIX system. The octa-core mini PC achieved 22,450 points in 7-zip on average, while the Z100-0dB got 10,680 points, so in this multi-core benchmark, we can expect about twice the performance. In terms of graphics performance in Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0, that would be 292 vs 482 points, another significant performance boost assuming cooling is working properly. However, I’d expect single-core performance to be similar.
Price-wise, the MINIX NEO Z100-0dB is currently sold for $249.90 on Amazon, and the new NEO Z300-0dB goes for $288.91 on Amazon. Both prices are after clipping the discount coupon available at the time of writing, and it looks like it may be worth spending a bit more on the new model.
Via Fanless Tech
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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